Takeyasu Kurokabe
"The best death is by decay. Let the flesh rot from the outside and the mind break down from within." Takeyasu Kurokabe (武安黒壁) was born with the genes of the Basilisk, extending to a simulation of the legendary Basilisk's various abilities and physiology. He has an obsession with decay that motivates him to watch and relish all forms of degeneration, be it mental or physical. He has no grand, overarching goal. All he wants is for the world to continue on its path, which he believes will continue to yield what he desires. Appearance His attire is Western in style, having spent his most of his life roaming in Europe. He has a particular fondness for trench coats, as they accentuated his tall, lean figure. In society, however, he wears unassuming clothing, mostly semi-formal wear and suits, never once touching casual. In his hybrid form, he begins to act and behave with more predatory instinct. His skin shows signs of hardening and the formation of epidermal plates. In this form, he becomes more attuned to the Basilisk's physiology, as well as more access to its abilities, namely the Eyes of Petrification, something he is unable to use normally. Personality On the surface he is social, amiable, and well-mannered, disguising the sadistic and twisted inner self that relishes on the decay of others. Thus, when he appears to be so welcoming and friendly, he is actually gauging whether or not the person he is interacting with is of interest to him, especially regarding the potential for decay and downfall. If he is interested, he will make it his goal to slowly bring that end into fruition. Thus, it is not wrong to think of his mere presence as poison. His ideology of the world is irrelevant. He cares not for political beliefs, religious beliefs, or even for the future. He sustains his lifestyle by befriending victims, exploiting their weaknesses, and leaving their life in shambles as he walks away with monetary gain and the pleasure in watching the spectacle unfold. Like a serpent, he is malevolent, sly, and elusive. No one ever traced the fates of his victims to his actions. His only wish is for the world to continue on like the way it is now, so that he could continue his way of life, feeding on the decay of others as he indulges in their despair and misery. History He was born a few years before Reisaki, and due to his unhealthy fascination with death his parents sent him abroad to the best psychologists in the West. They found no issue with him, but when he was returned he had a lingering hatred towards them for considering him to be mentally ill. However, when he was caught seducing a cousin to gain access to her inheritance he was erased from the family name and forcibly exiled to Europe, ridding him of all his possessions and money and leaving him at the care of a mental institution. Of course, the doctors could not detect a genuine psychological disorder, and as a result of his persuasive charm they released him into the world once again. His first intention was to eventually return to Japan, but decided against it, believing that the time will come. Instead, he decided to roam Europe, desiring to see how the modern civilized man lived. It was here he began to discover his dormant hunger for decay, taking great joy at watching the breakdown of society in the forms of rioting, corruption, and debauchery. It was paradise for him to live amongst the chaos, and he could only wish it would continue. Several years later, when he heard about Reisaki's well-loved status in the extended family, he paid a visit to her. She was fifteen at the time, and most of her memories of him were what her parents had told her about him. However, when he tried to sweet-talk her into liking him again, he met with a cold, calculating glare that meant she saw through his character immediately. Even after so many years, a single moment was enough for her to recognize his dangerous personality and reject him without hesitation. Realizing that his entire family had utterly forsaken him, Takeyasu's original seed of hatred began to grow, and he began obsessed with the idea of personally bringing about the decay of his entire extended family. He spent some time in Asia and Europe learning martial arts, combining the spiritual aspect of the former with the physical aspect of the latter. It was during training that he learned he had a knack for identifying weak point as well as visualizing how to hit them to immediately bring about the breakdown of his opponent's fighting stance. Furthermore, he was told that during fighting his gaze somehow terrified his sparring partners, sometimes to the extent of making it difficult for them to even raise their arms. He left with reasonable fighting experience, and decided to test it in Greece, where it was undergoing riots from European recession. It was there, amidst the violence and fighting, that he felt a calling, something beckoning his presence. At the end of following this feeling, Takeyasu found himself face to face with a sculpture in a museum--the legendary Basilisk. Abilities Being the descendent of the Basilisk, his eyes cannot immediately kill or petrify his targets, but can induce intense, paralyzing fear as well as accelerate decay, physically and mentally. Base Form Abilities *Snake Physiology *Decay/Shattering (conceptual or physical) *Poisonous Blood Hybrid Form Abilities * Trivia *His favorite color is black. *His favorite prey are weak-spirited men and strong-spirited women; the former because they are easy to approach and befriend and the latter because of a personal preference for challenge. To him, the stronger they are the more pleasurable it is to see them fall. *Genso's side character. Quotes Relationships *His relationship to Reisaki Kurokabe is a confusing one. He feels contempt for her, yet at the same time she is endearing, being his younger sister. Amidst that is also a tinge of jealousy, as he knows Reisaki is the one filling his place in the family. Nonetheless, it is not incorrect to say that she is still a valid target for his purposes.